The Hunted (DM: IronSky, Judge: ???)

[Iron Sky]

The Hunted: Day 1, Hour 2, Minute 19

The group arrives at 178 High Lane, a compact two-story, red tiled building, with brass piping along the edge of the roof and running down the sides of the building. An elaborate, curving marble stairway with brass handrails winds up from the street to the front door, passing through a grove of stately maples.

A pair of city watch are leaning against the brass streetlamp that overlooks the front gate, beneath a jutting brass arm with a hanging sign with a square-sailed ship cresting blue waves. They guardsmen jump as you emerge from the darkness and ready their spears, looking at the group of you warily.

 

[Voda Vosa]

Earth unfolds his permit for clearance. "We are investigating the murders." he says.

 

[Neurotic]

"Can you tell us what you know of the murder here? Who died, exactly where and similar? I'll depend on you eyes to tell me such things."
speaks the elf, putting the guards at ease

Diplomacy 9+10=19

 

[pacdidj]

"There, there. It's alright dearies," Auntie Mab says to the guards in a sing-song, placating voice.

"Just an old woman, a blind elf, and some friends come to help out with the investigation. Now what can you tell us about what's going on here?," she asks as she steps in front of the Earth and Xander, hoping to focus the guards' attention away from the more menacing-looking members of the party, and perhaps cajole some information out of them. This distraction technique seems to backfire somewhat though, and the guards eye her suspiciously.

Diplomacy (1d20+8=10)

 

[Iron Sky]

The Hunted: Day 1, Hour 2, Minute 20

The guards relax visibly when they see Earth's permit, resting their spear butts back on the cobblestones. One of them, a young woman with short-cropped black hair gestures at the manor behind them.

"I've never been in a place like this before. Those pipes run water into the house and it's actually hot! But its... terrible." She shudders.

The other one, a short, chubby man with a scruffy red beard nods. "Never seen anything like it in fifteen years in the watch. Looks like something pulled them apart."

"There's three of them. The butler is all over the stairs, can barely tell its him. The maid is in one of the upstairs room. Whoever killed her was quick, just ran a blade through her chest. In the master bedroom though..." The young woman looks like she's about to vomit at the recollection.

"Head on in if you want to look around. We left it just like it was." The city watchman opens the gate to let you in.

 

[Voda Vosa]

Earth nods and lumbers forward, opens the door and scries the area.


Perception (+10): Can't we take 20?

 

[jkason]

Devinihm, wilden druid

"There's three of them. The butler is all over the stairs, can barely tell its him. The maid is in one of the upstairs room. Whoever killed her was quick, just ran a blade through her chest. In the master bedroom though..." The young woman looks like she's about to vomit at the recollection.

"Head on in if you want to look around. We left it just like it was." The city watchman opens the gate to let you in.

Devinihm shudders a bit at the description, but as Earth makes his way inside, the wilden follows, eyes and ears open.

OOC: Passive Perception is 19, and Devinihm has low-light vision.

 

[LadyLaw]

Rysethynn follows the others inside, bracing herself for what she is sure to see. She steps carefully as she looks around, trying to be careful not to step in anything important, or anyone.

 

[Iron Sky]

The Hunted: Day 1, Hour 2, Minute 22

A few minutes later the group is looking in through the open double doors. Inside is a massive room dominated by the central staircase that starts 15' from the front door and widens as it goes up, ending in a balcony that wraps around the sides of the room. Several doors open up from both the balcony and the sides of the main room. A thick red carpet runs from the front door and up the stairs.

The walls are mostly bright red cherry, with strange brass pipes embedded in them and left visible as some sort of statement. Somehow it looks elegant and exotic rather than bizarre. A massive crystal chandelier hangs above the front door, dozens of golden lights flickering from inside the crystals, lighting up the room like warm sunlight and casting tiny rainbows across the walls.

All of this sinks in later - after the initial shock of the absolute carnage. Blood is splattered across the entire room, from the white plaster of the ceilings to the chandelier, to the balcony and walls. The majority of the body - more of a bloody husk - lies in the center of the stairs, one arm and leg still attached to it, while the others are scattered elsewhere. Ribs and other bones jut out of the carpet like bloody thorns and some ribs seem to have shot out with enough force to embed in the walls...

 

[Neurotic]

Illarion stays by the guards for a moment:
"Who's house is this? And, if you know, was there supposed to be more people inside at the time of the attack? I mean, butler, maid and mistress doesn't sound like full household."
After receving the answer, elf gives his thanks to the guards and walks slowly after the others.

He stops and says: "If you see something strange, do not stay and fight, but run inside and call for us. Please."